La Bella Vita
by Queen-of-candyland
Summary: Marsifino. A look at what Elsa and Massimo's life could have been had they just escaped from Germany and he wasn't so hell bent on revenge.
1. Chapter 1

***A/N: I haven't written anything in quite awhile so I'm a bit rusty. Here I'll begin to tell the tale of the dream life that I envisioned for Elsa and Massimo since the story we got for them in actuality was so tragic and painful. The characters aren't mine. Disclaimer disclaimer blah blah blah. Y'all know the drill. Enjoy! (I hope.)**

_Germany 1934_

"Massimo... you can't." Elsa said softly. These were not the circumstances that she had envisioned delivering such important news to her beloved, her savior, her EVERYTHING. No. She had imagined a much more pleasant occasion to deliver such a wonderful tidbit of information, but considering the current state of turmoil and siege that Germany was enduring and Massimo's determination to avenge her by making those that had harmed her suffer, Elsa was no longer sure that her wonderful announcement was so wonderful.

Elsa often wondered if she had been a horribly wretched person in a previous life and if she were making up for the transgressions that she had accrued then in her current one. She supposed her childhood had been ideal enough, though she had never been a good enough replacement for her long deceased older sister in the eyes of her parents. The first war had left her country in shambles and she had to squeak out a living any way that she could; she had always coveted fame, and her work as a dominatrix had made her infamous throughout Europe. She followed her own rules, and never allowed any of the pathetic men that sought out her services to even touch her, let alone put their filth inside of her. Infamous as she was, that was just not enough for Elsa Mars so she began her career in pornography. Thought it was as degrading a thing as she had ever done; to her it was just a job which was more than most Germans had and the money was nice, but the fame was even better.

What she thought to be just another little job and another little film altered the entire course of her life. Those monsters had lured her into a situation in which she was alone and vulnerable; they sawed off her legs and kept the cameras rolling, intending to make a snuff film to appease the sickest of sick individuals. When they were finished they left her to die, and die she would have had a soldier that she often entertained not came calling. He delivered her to the doorstep of the most wonderful man that she had ever been privileged to know, her darling Massimo Dolcefino.

Massimo was unlike any other man that she had ever known; she found most of them disgusting, barbaric, and stupid but Massimo was everything that was good in the world. He took her in with no hesitation, nursed her back to health when she was knocking on death's doorstep, built her a new set of legs with his own skilled hands, and taught her to walk and dance once again. He taught her that men could be gentle and caring, and every time he looked at her love radiated out of his kind eyes in a way that she had never known before. Every kindness that he gave he offered expecting nothing in return, not that she had anything of value to give him. All that she had left was what remained of her broken heart and soul, but even that Massimo had begun to make whole. It wasn't much, but for the first time in her life Elsa knew that she had found someone that she could truly love, and she gave all that she had to him.

He had been hesitant to begin a physical relationship with her in fear of hurting her already fragile body. As time went on, Elsa's strength and spirit returned to her through Massimo's prodding, encouragement, and love. Though he had his reservations, their close proximity and intimacy inevitably bloomed into a love so tender and passionate and sweet that Eros himself must have had a hand in it. Elsa's fervor and strength for him quickly alleviated Massimo's fears and concerns. In fact when they were together, Elsa's prosthetic legs almost became an after thought.

Lovers they became, and loving they did plenty. Alone together in his apartment that they made their home they Elsa and Massimo were living in their own Shangri-la. Outside his door, things were not so picturesque, however. It was becoming dangerous to be in the Rhineland and this danger was never far from their minds. They had plans to escape to Switzerland where both of their native languages were spoken and things were much safer. Elsa wanted to leave as as soon as they possibly could, but Massimo had unfinished business that he desperately wanted to attend to before they made their escape.

Thus, her lover was quite confused when Elsa has stated that he could not take care of the matters at hand that should have already been taken care of long ago. Just a few days prior, Elsa had been in complete agreement with the plan and he wondered what had changed her mind.

"What do you mean mi amore?" Massimo asked in his confusion. "You know that I need to do this."

Elsa closed her eyes and nodded. "Yes, I know that you feel the need to avenge me, but-" She said before he interrupted her.

"But what, my darling? Those monsters hurt you and they need to pay and I am going to be the one to see that they own up to their debts." He insisted, raising his hand and gently brushing the back side of his fingers down the side of her face.

"I don't need to be avenged, Massimo." She answered, lifting her own hand to rest on his. "Not anymore. As long as I have you by my side then I have all the revenge I need. I was supposed to die but you gave me a life worth living."

"But how can I live with myself or look into your beautiful eyes knowing that I let those monsters go? I could not live with that myself, Elsa. They have to pay." Massimo replied, turning away from her in an attempt to conceal the anger that he felt coursing through his veins.

Elsa felt tears brimming in her eyes and fought hard to keep them from falling before finally speaking up. "They are monsters, yes, awful, lecherous, dangerous monsters. But you, Massimo, you are an angel; my angel. It is too dangerous for my angel to be dealing with monsters who are so insignificant. They do not matter at all anymore, my love. I know making them pay matters to you, but it does not matter to me. There are three of them and none of them are worthy of even shining your boots. Getting justice from even one of them is not worth putting my angel in danger, not for my sake. Not now, my darling."

Elsa's words softened the hardened anger that Massimo felt deep within his soul. "Why not now, my love?" He asked, pulling her into an embrace and holding her head in place on his shoulder with his large hand. "Why now? You wanted vengeance as much as me not three days ago."

She looked up at him with tears glistening in her eyes. "Because liebchen... things have changed and I cannot risk losing you now... not when we have so much at stake. We need to get out as soon as we can."

"What has changed, bella flora? What is so different that our escape cannot wait until I defend your honor?" He asked, his voice softening.

A soft smile spread across Elsa's face. "Because it is not only you that I have to worry about now, Massimo."

Massimo let out an audible gasp. "You mean..." he began, pulling her even closer to him.

Elsa nodded. "Si. Yes. I'm going to have a baby."

"Elsa, ti amo." With gentle force Massimo pressed his lips to hers and Elsa knew that all thoughts of revenge had left his mind and soon they would be on their way to Switzerland and safety. All of them.

_**Translations**_

_Mi Amore- _My Love

_Liebchen- _Sweetheart, Dear.

_Bella Flora- _Beautiful Flower


	2. Chapter 2

"DAMN IT!" Elsa exclaimed throwing the papers that she had been holding ceremoniously into the air.

"This is not fair. How can this be happening?"

Massimo grinned slightly to himself. He was growing accustomed to her hormonal fits of range and found this one to be particularly adorable.

"It's not as big a deal as you think it is, mi amore. It's only a piece of paper." He stated, cautiously placing a hand on her shoulder, afraid of how she might react to his disagreeing with her.

"Only a piece of paper. ONLY A PIECE OF PAPER? It's MARRIAGE, _Massimo_. OUR MARRIAGE. OF COURSE IT'S A BIG DEAL." She snapped, pulling her shoulder free from his grasp. "We should be married, and it is completely unfair that they are not allowing us that right. It's also unfair to me for you to dismiss it as only a piece of paper." With that, Elsa plopped herself on the sofa and looked away, seething with anger.

Massimo bit his lip to stifle a giggle from escaping. After a moment he walked over and sat down beside his Elsa, taking her hand, which she at first tried to pull away but quickly relented as he began to speak.

"I do not need a piece of paper from the government to validate what is already true in my heart, darling. We are already married as two people get and we do not need some pretentious ceremony and a stamp of approval to know that."

A small, feline grin spread across Elsa's lips and she laid her head on his shoulder. "Yes, that's true, Massimo. We are spiritually married and that is what matters, but the baby deserves to be legitimate. We need to get out of here and to somewhere that can happen."

Massimo ran his fingers through her silky, platinum, curls. "Those in power in this country are ridiculous, cara. I'm sorry that they aren't allowing us to marry, but since I am not a native German we should have expected them to make it rough on us. We'll get out as soon as we can, I promise."

Elsa sighed. That was another thing that she was worried about. Her belly was getting bigger by the day and things were getting more dangerous simultaneously. They needed to hop the first train to Switzerland as soon as possible but that was not easy either. Every day they waited for the paperwork from the Swiss government to come stating that they could legally immigrate into the country and every day they were disappointed. Elsa feared that they'd just have to run for it and that would be no easy task either, considering her condition and the endless array of Nazi soldiers that seemed to be everywhere. She was beginning to lose hope.

"I'm afraid to stay here much longer, Massimo. What if the baby comes in the middle of some siege? What if we can't find a doctor? What if I need to be cut open to deliver it?" She questioned, widening her brown eyes and looking at him with serious intention.

"I'll deliver the baby myself if I have to, my love. I don't want you to worry about anything." Massimo insisted, raising her hand and brushing it tenderly with his lips.

"How can I not worry though? There is a war raging outside and it is not safe to be here and has not been safe for some time. We have a baby on the way and they will not even allow us to marry. What is there not to worry about?"

Massimo pulled her in close to him and kissed her cheek. "You never have to worry as long as I'm around, mi bella. I will always protect you and our baby and put your needs first. You know that I would lie, cheat, steal, murder, or die, if you needed me to. Please just let me take care of things."

Elsa leaned up and kissed his lips warmly. "Of course you always take care of me. I wouldn't be alive today if it weren't for your wonderful self. I never worry about that, liebchen. It is everyone else that I worry about. None of them have your goodness it seems."

His hands fell to the small protruding bump in her abdomen. "None of them have my angel or our angel to love and care for. It is you that makes me better. I was a shell of a man before you were delivered to my doorstep, and I only became human again when I found my heart in you."

Elsa's hands lowered to rest on top of his and her swollen stomach. "I never knew that men could be kind or considerate or decent until you found me. I still do not believe that of most, but I know that there is at least one wonderful man in this godforsaken world and I am undeserving, but I have him."

"We will get out soon, my darling. I promise you that much... no matter what I have to do we will get out." Massimo insisted. "And when we do we will be as legally married as we are spiritually married."

Elsa laughed. "I believe you, my love. I believe you. I have never doubted you or your ability to make things right... I'd just like a ring to wear so everyone knows that it's official. I may not deserve you but there is not a woman in this world that does and they all need to know who you belong to. "

Elsa didn't mention it, but she longed to be married because she was well aware of the disapproving looks that she got whenever they went out in public and people noticed the swell of her stomach and the lack of a ring on her finger. Babies were just not born out of wedlock to decent people, and she could not bear the thoughts of them labeling her baby a bastard because it was conceived in just as good or better a love as any baby born to any legally married couple. If it weren't for the baby she wouldn't care if she and Massimo ever made their relationship legal, but considering the state of the world that it was about to be born into, their baby deserved to begin life on as equal a level as anyone else.

Her lover grinned. "I can assure you that none of them hold a candle to you, Elsa. It is I who should worry... but if a ring is all you need to feel better, then I believe I can take care of that."

Elsa watched curiously as Massimo dug into his pocket and pulled out a golden ring, tiny enough to fit her dainty finger. "Do you mean... how long have you had that?" She inquired, in awe of what he had produced.

"Awhile." He answered, a large grin spreading across his face. "I wanted to be prepared to make it official the minute we were allowed."

Tears filled Elsa's brown eyes and she covered her mouth with her hands. "You really are perfect." She finally stammered out.

"No one is as perfect as you, bella, but what do you say? Marry me?" He asked falling to one knee.

"YES! I marry you, I marry you, I marry you!" She exclaimed giving her left hand to him.

Massimo slipped the ring on her finger and raised himself up on the sofa to join her, and kissed her hungrily.

"We're married as we need to be now." Elsa teased when they finally pulled away. "So I guess that means that our honeymoon has officially began." She said with a smirk, standing up and taking his hand.

"I suppose it does." Massimo replied wolfishly, following after her. "I suppose it does."


	3. Chapter 3

***A/N It wasn't until the last chapter was already published that I realized that I forgot to include an author's note in it. Whoops. Anyway, I hope that you are enjoying this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Thank you so much for all of your kind words and encouragement; I greatly appreciate them. As always I own nothing and I stand to gain no profit from this blah blah blah. So, here we go, another little glimpse into Elsa and Massimo's lives together. Enjoy!**

The longer that they stayed in Germany and bigger that Elsa's belly got, the harder Massimo found it to sleep peacefully at night. Thoughts of an air raid or an ambush by the Gestapo were never far from his mind. He'd even dreamed a few nights prior that Elsa had given birth in the middle of the night while he slumbered peacefully. That one had woken him up with a jolt and only when he glanced to his left and saw his love dozing comfortably did his breathing return to normal. He was grateful to find her lost in dreamland for once because her nights were usually far from restful, too.

Elsa was not one to complain but he knew that she found it hard to get comfortable and her missing limbs did not help in the matter at all. She also had to relieve her bladder so often that she had taken to sleeping with her prosthetic legs attached because she had grown tired of having to put them back on every time she needed to get up and use the bathroom. The baby also appeared to be something of a night owl; it was quite active at night and one of the few things that brought Massimo joy during these restless nights was reaching over, placing a hand on Elsa's stomach, and feeling the baby kick back a response. Though he enjoyed the baby's nocturnal nature Elsa did not. Most nights she would slip from the bed when he finally drifted off and sit alone in the dark and ponder all of her problems. Her days were filled with naps to compensate for the lack of sleep that she got at night and it made her feel like a toddler.

The soft chair that she did her best thinking in was just where Massimo found her one warm spring night. He awoke and instinctively flailed an arm in what should have been her general direction, but instead he found her side of the bed cold and empty. In his half conscious state he momentarily panicked, but quickly looked across the room and saw her where he knew that she would be.

"Rough night, cara?" He half grumbled, his voice thick with sleep and exhaustion.

"Just like all the others." She replied, sighing heavily. "You seem to be struggling yourself."

"How do you know that, mi amore?" He asked, the usual tenderness returning to his voice.

"Because I've been watching you sleep, and you've been tossing and turning." She answered, as if it were the most ridiculous question that had ever been posed to her.

Massimo smiled a sleepy, satisfied, smile. "And why would you do that, darling? Surely there is something more interesting here than watching me attempt to sleep."

Elsa scoffed. "Oh yes. This place is buzzing with new and exciting things. It's practically a jazz club."

Massimo bit his lip to keep from laughing at her hormonally induced sarcasm. "I'm sorry that you're so bored, sweetheart. Come join me again?" He asked, pulling back the sheets and waving a hand over her empty side of the bed.

Elsa managed a small smirk. She would be damn lucky if sleep were to find her again any time soon, but snuggling with the man that she loved might be just the ticket to take her to dreamland. It was certainly a better alternative than wallowing in the grief and worry that were her problems. With as much grace as she could muster, she pulled herself up from her sitting position and slowly and carefully sauntered back to the bed and climbed in, laying her head upon Massimo's chest as he brought an arm around her back to embrace and hold her in place.

For a few moments they said nothing and just lay in silence, using the solace that they found only in one another to try and relax. Finally Elsa spoke, breaking the blissful silence between them.

"Do you know why I was watching you sleep, liebchen?" She asked in a voice that was much softer and delicate than the strong, self assured voice that she primarily spoke in. She didn't let her vulnerable side show very often; she only ever let it seep through with him. Massimo hung on every word that Elsa said, regardless of the tone, but the words she spoke in this tender tone were his favorites.

"I don't, mi bella. That's why I asked." He joked, earning him a soft slap on the chest.

"Fine. Maybe I won't tell you." She huffed, but he could tell that she was smiling as she did so.

"Alright, my love. Forgive me. Why were you watching me sleep?" He asked again, placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

Elsa smiled. "Because the thoughts of everything that is going wrong and can and probably will go wrong were overwhelming me. Looking at you made them go away because you are the only thing in this world that is right to me."

Massimo swallowed hard, trying not to cry. When he felt like he was composed enough to look her in the eye, he glanced down and kissed her lips with gentle force that let her know how grateful and appreciative he was for the words that she had told him. Elsa returned his kiss fervently until he finally broke it and began to speak himself.

"I am sorry, my angel, I- "

"Why are you sorry, Massimo. You haven't a thing in this world to apologize for." She interrupted.

"I am sorry that you have so much to worry about. I am sorry that things are not getting any better. I am sorry that I am the only thing that brings you joy. I just wish there were more that I could do." He said tenderly stroking the side of her face.

"You are all that I need." Elsa insisted. "You have given me everything that has ever been good in my life. You promised me that everything would be alright and I know that you will make it so because you have never given me reason to doubt you."

As she finished her sentence, the baby kicked aggressively enough in agreement that even Massimo could feel it, though he did not have a hand on her stomach at the moment.

A wide grin spread across Elsa's face. "You see?" She continued. "The baby knows it too."

Massimo returned her smile. "Everything will be alright." He said for what must have been the five hundredth time.

"Everything will be alright." Elsa repeated, entwining their fingers as she settled her head back against his chest.

"In fact." Massimo began. "They might even get a whole lot better tomorrow. Maybe we'll finally be able to get out of here. Are you ready to leave?"

"Yes. Maybe tomorrow." Elsa muttered, sleep clouding her voice.

Before Massimo knew it, she was snoring lightly. Pleased that he'd helped her find peace enough to sleep again, he could relax a little himself. And who knew? Maybe tomorrow they really would get away to safety.

"Maybe tomorrow." He said, when his conscious mind was nearly gone for the night. A moment later when they were both dozing comfortably for the first time in a good week, they wore matching feline smiles.

And everything was alright.


End file.
